Electric lock



(No-Model.)

1E'. H. STARRETT.

ELECTRIC LOCK.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FLOYDE II. STARRE'IT, OF CLINTON, MICHIGAN.

ELECTRIC LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 463,297, dated November 17', 1891.

Application filed November 3, 1890. Serial No. 370,147. (No model.) v

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, FLOYDE H. STAREETT, a citizen of the United States, residing in Olinton, county of Lenawee, and State of Michigan, have inveutedcertain new and useful Improvements in Electric Locks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for electrically operating lock-bolts; and the object of my invention is to produce efficient and inexpensive mechanism and connections whereby one or a series of locks may be electrically operated and simultaneously show by an indicator or indicators that the lock bolt or bolts have movedl as desired.

My invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying' drawings, Figure 1 is a view showing my complete invention, partly in plan and partly in elevation, some parts being shown broken out or partly in section to more clearly illustrate their construction; and Fig. 2 is a sectional View of one of the switches for locking or interlocking the bolt, and showing how a key may be used to operate the switch.

A and A indicate, respectively, the locking land unlocking switches; B, the battery; C, the indicator, and D the lock proper.

The switch A consists of a block of insulating material having on one side two vconcentrically-curved metal plates a and b, with a space between them, and diametrically opposite thereto similarly-placed plates, the outer one of which e is the length of plate a, while the inner one is divided to form two short curved plates c and d, insulated Vfrom each other. The unlocking-switch A is similarly constructed and provided with plates f, g, 71 fr', and j, and to the centers of the baseblocks of the switches are pivoted at tw the switch-bars O and O', respectively, of which the former carries contact-feet 7c and Z on its ends, and the latter carries contact-feet mand n. These contact-feet may consist of spring metal and are adapted to engage and electrically connect the curved metal plates, as hereinafter further described.

The indicator consists of a pointer C', pivoted at c and provided with a pin c2, adapted to be engaged by the forked upper end of the armature t, pivoted at 't'. The pointer is adapted t0 indicate either of the Words Locked or Unlocked, suitably secured to the base-board of the indicator.

I is a yoke, of brass, supporting the magnets Q andR, with their poles on opposite sides of the lower end of the armature t.

In the case of lock D are mounted two magnets u and fo, with their pivoted armatures w and :r respectively in connection with the coils of said magnets at w and Qc. Above the armatures w and x, respectively, are secured springmounted contact-points d and c, and below them are secured springmountedd contactpoints b and CW, and depending from the ends of said armatures are racks y and aengaging both sides ot pinion a', which is ixed to a larger pinion b2. AThis pinion engages a pinion c3, which is fixed to a larger pinion d4, that engages the rack dof bolt Z5, having a suitable guide f7 for its upper end.

The bolt Z5 has an insulated conductor i9 passing through it and projecting slightly from its end and adapted when the bolt is shot to make contact with the plate nl?. inside the bolt-socket fm, said plate being preferably mounted on a spring 013, which is electrically connected through a hard-rubber screw T15 with the wire 5, hereinafter referred to.

The conductor t has a flexible connection hs with block hg, liXed in the lock-case.

At gi a square hole is represented in the pinions c3 and d4, by means of which and a square key the bolt can be operated otherwise than by the electrical connections; but of be only on the inside of a door to which the lock is applied.

In Fig.,l the handlep of the switch-bar O and O is indicated by dotted lines only, this being because the said handle projects from the side of the block opposite that on which the contact-plates a b, the., are shown.

In Fig. 2, which is a section on line 2. 2 ot Fig. l, when the bar O is turned to the line of said section, the construction on the inside ot the block or that side on which the plates are iixed is the same as shown in Fig. l; butin said sectional view .instead of the handle p an ordinary lock of the Yale pattern is indicated for the purpose of illustrating course the opening to such square hole should IOO ybe operated by a special key.

how the switches may be constructed so as to The con struction of such ordinary lock is well known and needs no detailed description. It is only necessary, if any kind of keylock is used, to connect the plug or other part turned by the key to the bar O or O.

Apawl-and-ratchet mechanism is indicated at p8 and p2 to prevent the switch-bar from being turned in the wrong direction.

Connections are made as follows: battery and metal plate a by wire 1, plate Z) and magi net u by wire 2, magnet u and armature w by wire w', contacts h dm and metal plate c by wire 3, plate e and battery by wire 4, contact a and contact w12 by wire 5, block 71." and wire 3 by wire 6, wire 2 and contact-point 0 by wire 7, wire 3 and coil of magnet Q by wire 8, coil of magnet Q and plate d by wire 9, wire 1 and plate f by wire 10, plate g and coil of magnet u by wire 11, coil of magnet u and armature x by wire x', plate t' and coil of magnet R by wire 12, plate j and wire 4 by wire 13, plate h and wire 3 by wire 14, and wire 2 and coil of magnet R by wire 15. The contactpoints a, c, b, and dm are mounted on springs of a slight length or expansive power, so as to cause the said contacts to follow the motion of the armatures a short distance, preferably so that an armature will leave one contact just after it reaches and presses back the opposite one.

The operation is as follows: As shown in Fig. 1, the bolt is unlocked, and to lock'it the switch-bar O will be turned in the direction of the arrow. As soon as the contact-feet k and Z connect plates c e and a h, respectively, the electric circuit is complete from the battery through wire 1, plates a, Z, and b of the switch, wire 2, magnet u, wire w', armature w, contact-point h, wire 3, plates c, 7c, and e of the switch, and wires 4 to battery. This energizes magnet u and attracts armature w, which, lby lifting rack y, operates to shoot the bolt by means of the train of gear-wheels or pinions and the bolt-rack. At the same time the rotation of the pinion a moves the rack a and armature a; downward and causes the latter to rest against contact-point CZHV. The momentum acquired by the bolt and gearing before contact is made at ZJ" and broken at a causes the parts to continue to the full extent of motion. The operation so far described takes place at once upon the rst contact resulting from the turning of the switch-bar and before the continued turning of said bar breaks the connection between plates c and c. Immediately after the plate or foot 7o connects plates d and e, while still making connection between plates a and b, and this completes a circuit lfrom the battery through wire 1, switch, wire 2, magnet u, armature w, contact-point a, wire 5, spring` 013, plate n, conductors 719 and hg, wires 6, 3, and 8, magnet Q, wire 9, switch-plates 61,76, and e, and wire 4 to battery. This energizes magnet Q, which attracts armature t and causes the pointer to indicate the word Locked, and since this circuit cannot be completed until the bolt has been shot, so as to make contact at t and nl?, the indicator positively shows that the bolt is locked. Now, in order to understand the description of the unlocking operation,the movable parts must beimagined as in the position the reverse of the illustration in Fig. l, but, of course, with the switch-bar O in a vertical position or out of place for making any electrical connections. The bar O of the unlocking-switch is turned in the direction indicated by the arrow, and when the feet n and m respectively connect plates fg and hj the currentpasses from.

the battery by wires 1 and 10, through switch-` l contactsfa g, wire 11, magnet o', wire 0C', armature contact-point 61, wires 3 and 14,

switch-contacts h mj, and wires 13 and 4 to the battery. This -energizes magnet fu, which causes the armature a; to lift rack z and withdraw the bolt by means of the train of gearing or pinions and break the contact at t and nl?. The use of the armature then makes contact at point 0. The continued motion of switch-bar O brings the foot m into contact with plates t' and j, which sends the. current from the battery through the same connections as just above described until the armature .'r is reached, from which it passes through contact-pointe", wires 7, 2, and 15, magnet R, wire 12, switch-plates mj, and wires 13 and 4 back to the battery. This circuit energizes magnet R, which causes the armature t to throw the indicator-pointer over to the word Unlocked, and this cannot take place until the armatures@ has risen to make contact at 0 and has consequently operated the lock-bolt. ture t and of thepinions should have s ufli- The pivot of arma-` IOO IOS

when no electric current is passing through their operating-magnets. After either switch-4 bar has been operated and accomplished the purpose described, it should be turned far enough to leave all circuits broken, and of course the feet 7o Z and m 'a may at any time be left in positions the reverse of those shown in Fig. 1. Said feet are duplicates, and of course operate alternately on the plates on opposite sides of the blocks. Two or more locks, as described, may be connected by running a wire from the switch-board on which all the small switches and indicators would be placed and connecting all the locks to it and by running -two wires from each lock back to the switch board. It will be seen that the arrangement of pinions connecting the varmature-racks and the bolt-rack forms a multiplying gear, whereby the slight motion of the armature will cause the bolt to travel a greater distance; but the number of pinions might be decreased or increased. The pinion a and racks y andz serve to connect the two armatures, whereby IIO the motion of one in one direction causes the other to move in the opposite direction, the pinion a acting as a lever, and the entire system of pinions or gears and the racks serve as my preferred' means for communicating motion from either armature to the bolt.

Having now described my invention, what I claim isl. In an electric lock, the combination, with the bolt thereof, of two electro-magnets, each having an armature, the said armatures being connected together for alternate motion, and connections therefrom to the bolt for operating the latter, substantially as described.

2. In an electric lock, the combination, with the bolt thereof, of .two electro-magnets, each having an armature, the said armatures being connected by lever mechanism, and connections between said armatures and the bolt for operating the latter, substantially as described.

3. In an electric lock, the combination, with the bolt having a rack, of two electro-mag` nets, each having an armature, the said arma-l tures provided with racks, a pinion engaged by both of the armature-racks, and another pinion operated by the tirstand engaging the bolt-rack, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a lock-bolt'and electro-magnets for positively operating itin both directions, of an indicator and electromagnets for operating it, and switches and connections for alternately energizing the magnets which operate the said bolt and indicator, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a lock-bolt and electro-magnetic apparatus for operating it, of an electro-magnetic indicator and contacts carried by the bolt and bolt-socket, said contacts being included in the circuit of the indicator-magnet, whereby operation of the indicator is positively dependent upon operation of the bolt, substantially as described.

6. In combination with the magnets of an electric lock, an indicator consisting of electro-magnets having their coils connected in series with the coils of the lock-magnets, a pivoted armature located between the indicator-magnets andhaving a slot in its upper end, and a pivoted pointer provided with a pin fitting said slot, substantially as described.

7. In combination with an electric lock, a switch therefor consisting of a block having a pivoted bar provided with a contact at each end, said block having a pair of plates on each side of its center, one of the plates of one pair being divided into two insulated plates, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FLOYDE H. STARRETT..

Witnesses:

E. B. ROSE, S. W. DEMUTH. 

